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This revealing book synthesizes research from many fields to offer the first complete history of the roles played by weather and climate in American life from colonial times to the present. Author William B. Meyer characterizes weather events as neutral phenomena that are inherently neither hazards nor resources, but can become either depending on the activities with which they interact. Meyer documents the ways in which different kinds of weather throughout history have represented hazards and resources not only for such exposed outdoor pursuits as agriculture, warfare, transportation, construction, and recreation, but for other realms of life ranging from manufacturing to migration to human health. He points out that while the weather and climate by themselves have never determined the course of human events, their significance as been continuously altered for better and for worse by the evolution of American life.
Review Quotes
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"When thinking about the relationship between climate change and society it is all too easy to succumb to the 'determinist fallacy' -- climate change impacts can be predicted by knowing future climated. By examining the relationship between climate and social change, William Meyer's book Americans and Their Weather rotates our perspective in an enlightening way. By carefully surveying over two hundred years of American social history, Meyer shows how changing technological, social and cultural norms exerted a huge influence on how humans lived with and adapted to their climates. In the context of present anxieties about changing climates this is a lesson we need to heed: we influence what constitutes dangerous weather as much as dangerous weather influences us." --Mike Hulme, Professor of Climate and Culture, King's College London
"Since its first publication fourteen years ago, I have found myself repeatedly returning to Americans and Their Weather. My copy is truly well thumbed. Eschewing both environmental and social determinism, William Meyer combines careful scholarship with a flair for engaging narrative." --Steve Rayner, James Martin Professor of Science and Civilization, Oxford University
"Meyer does not discuss the impact of climate on society but rather examines how human activities have continually changed the significance of climate. He notes how observers in the 19th century considered that the climate in the previous century had been more severe. However, the thesis of this book is that the changes in the perception of climate are associated with changes in such aspects of life as clothing, house construction, transportation, and other aspects of 'life.'" --CHOICE
"The author does an admirable job of knitting together historical accounts, folklore, and science and producing a readable and interesting book." --Oregon Historical Quarterly
"A fact-paced, well-written historical account that reads like a story." --Weatherwise
